Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on a eight-day visit to Europe, stressed that it was impossible for militants to gain any access to Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. The Pakistani President, addressing a French foreign policy institute said that the only way for militants to gain access to Pakistan's nuclear arsenal would be if Al-Qaeda or the Taliban “defeated the Pakistani army entirely” or if extremist religious groups won next month's elections. He said that as there is no chance of any of the above actually taking place, Pakistan’s weapons cannot fall into wrong hands1.

In light of recent reports which have questioned the safety of Pakistani nuclear and other strategic assets, the Strategic Plans Division (SPD) based in Rawalpindi launched a PR exercise by organising a briefing for foreign journalists. Importantly, even two Indian journalists who are based in Pakistan were invited for the briefing. This was the third such briefing that the SPD was organising this month. It had earlier organised similar meetings for diplomats and military attaches stationed in Pakistan2.

• 1. “Pakistan weapons in safe hands,” BBC, January 22, 2008, at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7203376.stm
• 2. Nirupama Subramanian, “Nuclear weapons in safe hands, says Pakistan,” The Hindu, January 27, 2008, at http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/27/stories/2008012759870100.htm